Once you build a new business website, you’ll want to share it with the public. Since thousands of websites are created every day, you’ll want to find ways to make yours stand out. Do you have a launch plan to cut through the online noise and attract visitors? When you launch a business website without promoting it, expect to be underwhelmed by the initial level of traffic it receives. If you want to hit the ground running from day one, you should create a launch plan for your new website.
Here are several ways to set yourself up for success, ensuring that fans will visit your site and keep coming back for more visits.
Build anticipation
Think of your website launch as an event. If you don’t build buzz around it ahead of time, no one will know about it. Don’t worry, there are several — often free — ways to build anticipation for your website launch.
Create a prelaunch page
During your time online, you’ve likely stumbled across landing pages that say, “Site Coming Soon.” Despite the simplicity, these prelaunch pages build a sense of anticipation for upcoming sites. Canva provides examples of how you can use this type of page to generate interest and facilitate future conversions. For instance, offering referral incentives will help you grow a fan base. If nothing else, your pre-launch page should contain an email sign up form. Growing a list of subscribers is another key way to ensure a successful launch.
Grow your email list
“If you run an online business, your success will live or die by your mailing list,” explains Foundr. Despite social media being the new frontier of marketing, email marketing still drives the highest return on investment, delivering an average of $38 in revenue per $1 spent, according to Campaign Monitor. For this reason, you should begin building your email list before you launch a business website.
In addition to placing an email sign up form on your prelaunch page, other list-building strategies include:
- Adding a “subscribe” button to your Facebook page
- Providing discount codes in exchange for email addresses
- Collecting email addresses in store (if you have a physical location)
- Running a social media contest that requires users to submit their contact information
Social media teasers
You should create social media accounts for your business well before your website is ready to launch, as they provide valuable marketing opportunities at a low cost. Even if you’re still amassing a following, use social media posts to tease your website launch. Hootsuite describes how Avidia Bank used social media teasers when launching a new product, which resulted in almost three times its usual impressions and levels of engagement. Their launch strategy doubled their Twitter following and increased their Facebook followers by 10 percent.
Which social site should you focus on? Kissmetrics notes that Facebook visitors are four times more valuable for ecommerce sites than Twitter followers. Further, Instagram is a top-performing site for marketing. Yotpo notes that visitors referred from Instagram spend additional time browsing business websites, averaging more than three minutes.
Brand promoters
The more people who promote your launch, the more potential customers you’ll reach. The best way to get your site off the ground is by encouraging other people to promote it using word-of-mouth or online tactics. Your friends and family can serve as promoters, but don’t be afraid to network with other business owners, bloggers, and influencers. Cross-promotion can be beneficial to all parties involved!
These tips for how to launch a business website can help you make the most of your new online presence from the moment it goes live.
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